Hey everyone! It’s been over a week since I last gave an update on my stay here in Disney! So let’s recap:

Wednesday – Traditions!

This class was located at Disney University and was really fun. We got to learn about the past, present, and future of all things Disney. We also learned the “Disney Difference,” what makes Disney Cast Members different from all others who work in the same line of business. There were some slow parts during the day but there were also some nice surprises :)

After Traditions, Lyanne, Rachel, and I went off to the most traditional of the Disney parks: Magic Kingdom! I rode Space Mountain for the first time! Gasp, I know, I was too afraid to ride it before and honestly, I was afraid to ride it this time as well. It was SO much fun, though! We also danced with Stitch and Chip and Dale in Tomorrowland. That was a blast. The three of us tried to conquer all three mountains at the Magic Kingdom in one day but, since we got a late start, we only got two (the other was Splash Mountain). We have so much time to do it though, so I’m sure we will! I also tried my first Dole Whip at the Magic Kingdom. It was the most delicious thing I’ve ever eaten in my life. Now I know why everyone is crazy about them. If you don’t know what a Dole Whip is, it’s like soft serve pineapple ice cream and it’s a little slice of heaven. We finished the night of with watching the new Summer Nightastic Fireworks in front of Cinderella’s Castle. It was a good day :D

Thursday – Training Day #1

On Thursday I had my first Training day. I went to Disney University again and took a Food and Beverage Basics course that consisted of smaller e-learning classes. It was honestly a little boring because they stuck us in front of a computer to take online courses for about 4 hours. I constantly had to fight to stay awake. A lot of the information was common sense too, so I already knew it. Just a formality I suppose.

Friday – Day off

I was off on Friday so I took the entire day to catch up on some of my online coursework and just relax.

Saturday – On With the Show!

I had my “On With the Show!” Park Orientation this day! I was a part of a group of about 30 people and we got to take a tour of Hollywood Studios, both onstage and offstage. For those of you that don’t know the lingo, “onstage” is everywhere the guests can see and “offstage” is everywhere they can’t. This goes for anything at Disney, not just Hollywood Studios, which is centered around movies, tv, and other forms of entertainment. I felt really important walking around in business wear throughout the park even though it was really hot. I walked past my working location this day, but that was about it. We also got our costumes this day! I really like mine, especially the hat :D

Sunday – Training on Location

Sunday was my first day training on location! 2 other trainees and myself were taken to the Backlot Express, located between the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular attraction and Star Tours. The Backlot Express is an indoor quick-service location designed to look like a prop warehouse that serves really tasty, hot sandwiches, salad, chicken strips and fries, and more. After some more e-learning classes, blah, we were put straight to work at the counter. It was going fine for a while, but seeing as how Sunday was the last day of Star Wars Weekends and we were conveniently located right next to the Star Tours attraction, we were soon overrun with TONS of people! Not the best place to be on your first day of training! The ticket machine was spewing paper everywhere and it was really difficult to keep up. Some people might have cracked under the pressure but I just laughed and smiled the entire time; I was having the time of my life. People probably thought I was crazy. I got to hand guests their food and chat with them if I wasn’t too busy. It was great. I wouldn’t mind doing counter the entire time I am here, but I know I have to switch around. Too bad. :)

Monday – Training on Location #2

Second day of training on location! This day I learned to work the grill for the sandwiches. It was a little scary at first since the grill is crazy hot and, being the clumsy person I am, I thought I was going to burn myself. Once I got the hang of it though, I was cranking sandwiches out like it was going out of style! I was pretty much on this all day (excluding the little bit of time I was doing e-learning classes again!)

Tuesday – More training

Yesterday I was put on line, which meant that I was working with the burgers and buns right after they were cooked. It was really hot at this station; I didn’t expect it to be so hot! My particular job, as I was training, was to put lettuce, tomato, and seasoning on the burgers before topping them and sending them on their way. It got really busy at one point and the burgers and buns were being cooked faster than we could assemble them. I was working so fast that I swear lettuce was flying everywhere! After lunch, I was moved down the line to anchor, which is the position right after the one I had before lunch. I got the tickets, like I had at the counter, and assembled the sandwich orders on trays before sending them down the line to the rest of the food. It was a little hard to follow at first, but I got the hang of it. The specialty burgers are going be tough for me though because they have to be cooked separately from the rest and you have to yell out exactly what it is you want and hope whoever’s working that station hears you. So I think it will take me a little longer to get the specialty burgers down.

Wednesday (Today)– Day off

Today I went to Animal Kingdom with my roomies, Seanna and Rachel. Rachel hadn’t been to Animal Kingdom at all so it was tons of fun to be with a rookie! It was a little annoying at first because we could not catch a break with the rides. They were either broken down or closed down as soon as we got there because of impending storms. Eventually things got better and we went to It's Tough to Be a Bug and rode Kilamanjaro Safaris, Dinosaur, and Expedition Everest. I also saw Ryan from Ryan O's Disney Show working at Everest, which was kinda neat. After riding Dinosaur 2 times, I finally looked up for most of the ride. Haha, it's always frightened me to the point where I cover my eyes and ears throughout the whole thing, but not anymore! We all did the "Disney Point" for the picture in the ride, as well as on Everest! It was tons of fun.

So that’s all I have for now and I should have another update in about a week.

Til next time,


HAVE A MAGICAL DAY!

I have arrived!

Yes! I'm officially moved into my apartment at Disney! It's so strange to finally be able to say that I've arrived. I still remember waiting in January, quite impatiently, for applications to begin. I'm so excited to begin my journey with the Disney College Program!

Yesterday was the check-in day for all the 6/7 arrivals and I was so busy all day! I woke up and 6 am and didn't get to sleep until 1 am! It was fun though. Check-in was around 8 am. There, I got my room assignment (2-bedroom apartment in Chatham!), my housing id, and some important papers. I had just enough time to catch a bus to chatham to drop of my stuff before heading over to casting! At casting, I found out that I would be working at Disney's Hollywood Studios, which is so exciting! After that, we went through some formalities, like fingerprints and paperwork, and finished with a first picture of ourselves in front of the Disney College Program poster, welcoming us to the program. I also received my schedule for the next few days.

Today I have a day off to get acclimated to my new environment, get to know my roommates (which are awesome!), and finish moving in, which I've already done since I didn't bring too much with me. I plan on catching up on my homework today. We'll see if that actually happens ;) On Wednesday, I go to my Traditions class, which will introduce me to the culture and heritage of Disney. We'll also be getting our official Disney Cast Member ID during the class. I have the early morning session, which I was really hoping for because, once class is over, I can head out to the parks with my spiffy new ID! On Thursday, I have my first training session which will be about 4 hours long, then I'm free for the rest of the day. Friday I have off so I can again have fun in the parks! On Saturday, I have my park orientation and although it will 6 hours long, I think it will be tons of fun!

So that's my schedule for the rest of the week. I still have to keep up with my online class, blehhh, but I don't have it for much longer so hopefully I'll be able to keep on top of it.

Formspring Question!

What is your fairy tale ending?

Well, my fairy tale ending is pretty traditional in the fact that I want my Prince Charming to sweep me off my feet and we'll live happily ever after. Just like in a Disney movie :)

Well that's all I have for now so, as I will certainly be hearing a lot soon since I'm going to be working at Hollywood Studios, on with the show!

Til next time,


HAVE A MAGICAL DAY!